Seasoned arts executive brings 25-plus years of experience to the municipally owned venue
Lisa Rigsby Peterson has been named interim manager of theater operations at the Aurora Fox Arts Center, where she will work directly with Ginger White Brunetti, the city of Aurora’s director of Library and Cultural Services.
The hire follows the departure of executive producer Rich Cowden, who resigned on Feb. 2. Cowden told the Denver Gazette that he left “when it became clear it was in the best interest of the theater” but declined to elaborate further. Cowden was hired in August 2023 after a prolonged 14-month search.
Rigsby Peterson brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in professional theater and performing arts. She served as the founding executive director of the Lone Tree Arts Center for more than a decade and led the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen for three years. Both venues, like the Aurora Fox, are municipally owned and operated. Her resume also includes leadership roles with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Curious Theatre Company and Phamaly Theatre Company. She holds an MFA in theatre management from Yale University.
“Throughout her accomplished career in the arts, Lisa has balanced creative excellence in theater with the steady leadership and developing of high-performing teams,” White Brunetti said.
In addition to overseeing current operations, Rigsby Peterson will conduct a professional assessment of the Aurora Fox to help inform 2027 season planning, budget development and recommendations for future organizational direction. The assignment runs through Dec. 31, 2026.
The Aurora Fox is preparing for its second Season 41 production, Fat Ham, opening March 27 under the direction of donnie l. betts. The season continues with Violet (June 5-28), Feeding Beatrice (Oct. 2-Nov. 1) and Hank Williams: Lost Highway (Dec. 4-Jan. 4, 2027).
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